This application claims priority under 35 USC 119(a) to Patent Application No. 2003-406178 filed in Japan on 4 Dec. 2003 and to Patent Application No. 2003-413433 filed in Japan on 11 Dec. 2003, the content of both of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention is related to a projector optical system configuration, optical module, and projector, and also to electronic equipment, a vehicle, a projection system, and a showcase utilizing such a projector. In particular, the present invention pertains to a strategy for achieving projector miniaturization.
Due to such phenomena as the increasing popularity of corporate presentations and the increased number of households making use of home theaters, the market for projection equipment which might serve as large-screen display apparatuses (projectors) to be used in such applications has expanded rapidly in recent years. Furthermore, there is also a great deal of research underway to apply such projectors to various other products.
As disclosed at Japanese Patent Application Publication Kokai No. 2002-352768, ordinary projectors have hitherto used super-high-pressure mercury vapor lamps as light sources. As reasons for why such lamps have come to be used as light sources therein, the fact that they have very high luminance, the fact that optical manipulation of light exiting therefrom is facilitated due to the fact that they are very close to being point light sources, and so forth, may be cited.
However, because they have employed super-high-pressure mercury vapor lamps as light sources as has been mentioned above, conventional projectors have had the following deficiencies.
Because super-high-pressure mercury vapor lamps require that high voltages (e.g., 100 V to 240 V) be applied thereto, electrical power consumption is as high as on the order of 200 W, meaning that there is a limit to the extent to which reduction in projector running cost can be achieved.
Furthermore, because super-high-pressure mercury vapor lamps reach extremely high temperatures when lit, there must be elaborate cooling equipment in order to cool the lamp. This being the case, the weight of the overall projector must be large, making carrying and transport thereof difficult. In particular, it is also the case that carrying and transport of same when lit would be impossible because of the high temperatures reached by the overall projector.
As described above, so long as super-high-pressure mercury vapor lamps have been used as light sources there has been a limit to the degree to which it has been possible to achieve reduction in projector size/weight, reduction in drive voltage, and reduction in electrical power consumption.
The present invention was conceived in light of such issues, it being an object thereof to provide a projector optical system configuration, optical module, and projector, and also electronic equipment, a vehicle, a projection system, and a showcase utilizing such a projector, such as will permit reduction in projector size/weight, reduction in drive voltage, and reduction in electrical power consumption.